|
It
is a marvellous architectural complex that doesn't find
examples in Roman art. Its real name is Flavian Amphitheater.
It was built in 72 A.D. by an unknown architect. The
Coliseum rises among the Palatine hill, the Celian hill and
the Oppian hill. Its construction was begun by emperor
Vespasian and was completed by his son Titus in 80 A.D. At
first, in the amphitheater, gladiatorial shows, consisting
in fights to the death between men and beasts, took place:
it is there that, later on, the first Christians were
cruelly killed by beasts. Afterwards the Coliseum was
neglected, which provoked its rapid deterioration. Pope
Benedetto XIV's edict consecrated it to the memory of the
Christian martyrs, putting an end to its slow destruction.
In 1808 it was restored by Pope Pious VII. The Coliseum
consists of four floors: the first three of them have 80
holes shaped like archs, while the fourth is taller than the
others and is characterized by a more compact building mass
with windows. The archs are separated by pillars with
semi-columns of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian order. Inside,
the staircases had a capacity of around 50.000 people, who,
in case of bad weather, were sheltered by a system of
coverage consisting of striped cloth, maneuvered by one
hundred sailors. It is the greatest amphitheater of the
Roman world. |